SIGNS OF SPRING

A blooming polyanthus on the cold Winter's day is a welcome sign that Spring is not far away.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

POLYANTHUS

Primula is a genus of 400–500 species of flowering herbaceous plants in the family Primulaceae. They include primrose, auricula, cowslip and oxlip. Many species are grown for their ornamental flowers. They are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, south into tropical mountains in Ethiopia, Indonesia and New Guinea, and in temperate southern South America.

Perennial primulas bloom mostly during the spring; their flowers can be purple, yellow, red, pink, or white. Generally, they prefer filtered sunlight. Many species are adapted to alpine climates. The word primula is the Latin feminine diminutive of primus, meaning first (prime), applied to flowers that are among the first to open in spring. Primroses are used as food plants by the larvae (caterpillars) of some Lepidoptera species, including Duke of Burgundy butterfly, Large Yellow Underwing and Lesser Broad-bordered.

The term Polyanthus (often called Primula polyantha) refers to an interspecific garden hybrid between coloured varieties of P. vulgaris and P. veris, possibly with a small admixture of P. juliae. This has produced a large variety of strains in all colours, which are usually grown as annuals, and are available as seeds or young plants.

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SCARLET PIMPERNEL

Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), also known as red pimpernel, red chickweed, poorman's barometer, poor man's weather-glass, shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock, is a low-growing annual plant. The native range of the species is Europe and Western and North Africa. The species has been distributed widely by humans, either deliberately as an ornamental flower or accidentally. A. arvensis is now naturalised almost worldwide, with a range that encompasses The Americas, Central and East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Malaysia, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and Southern Africa.

Although traditionally included in the family Primulaceae, the genus Anagallis is now considered to be better placed within the related family Myrsinaceae. In the APG III system, Primulaceae is expanded to include Myrsinaceae, thus Anagallis is in Primulaceae sensu lato.This common European plant is generally considered a weed and is an indicator of light soils. It is most well known for being the emblem of the fictional hero "The Scarlet Pimpernel", a novel written by the Baroness Emma Orczy.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

CYCLAMEN

Winter brings flowering cyclamen to our garden and home. Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. Cyclamen species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to Iran, with one species in Somalia. They grow from tubers and are valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves. Many hybrids exist, and some varieties (especially the wild ones) are fragrant.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

POLYANTHUS

Polyanthus are a type of primula (Primula x polyantha), which produce incredibly bright cheerful flowers from July through to October.  Technically a perennial they are grown as annuals across Australia except in the colder regions. Either way with their crinkled leaves and bold flowers they are unbeatable at brightening up a lacklustre winter garden.

Polyanthus are usually purchased as seedlings or potted colour anytime from autumn through to winter. If you are a keen gardener you can sow seed but this is trickier because the seed is very small and germination can be a bit hit and miss.

Polyanthus are happiest growing in conditions which get bright shade or gentle sunlight so they don’t heat up. They also like moist soil which is rich and fertile. Whilst they can tolerate less than ideal conditions if you really spoil them then you’ll get a better showing.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CYCLAMEN

Cyclamen persicum, the Persian cyclamen, in the family Primulaceae, is a species of flowering herbaceous perennial plant growing from a tuber, native to rocky hillsides, shrubland, and woodland up to 1,200 m above sea level, from south-central Turkey to Israel and Jordan. It also grows in Algeria and Tunisia and on the Greek islands of Rhodes, Karpathos, and Crete, where it may have been introduced by monks. Cultivars of this species are the commonly seen florist's cyclamen.

Wild plants have heart-shaped leaves, up to 14 cm usually green with lighter marbling on the upper surface. Flowers bloom from winter to spring (var. persicum) or in autumn (var. autumnale) and have 5 small sepals and 5 upswept petals, usually white to pale pink with a band of deep pink to magenta at the base. After pollination, the flower stem curls downwards slightly as the pod develops, but does not coil as in other cyclamens. Plants go dormant in summer. Some cultivars (as the one pictured) have a subtle, distinctive fragrance, which is quite unforgettable.

Cyclamen persicum has a dark-brown tuberous root which is semi-poisonous. In some cultures, the tubers were used in making soap, as they generate a lather when mixed with water. The Bedouins of Mandate Palestine used to collect the root, and after grating it, would mix it with lime and sprinkle it over the surface of lakes or other large bodies of water known to contain fish. These poisonous mixtures would stun fish, which would then come to the surface and be collected by the fishermen. Such methods, as well as fishing with explosives, which came into use in the early 20th century, were banned by the British Mandate authorities.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

PRIMULA IN THE GARDEN

Primula malacoides or the Fairy Primrose have dainty clusters of flowers that are carried in spirals on an erect, hairy stem, well above the dense rosettes of attractive, mid-green foliage. The colours range from white, through pink, to magenta. These are classic mixed border plants and are generally amongst the earlier flowers to bloom making them a very good start to the season (Primus means first in Latin).

These do best if planted in any fertile soil in which well-rotted animal manure will help to promote larger blooms. Regular watering will ensure long blooming times, otherwise easy to grow and need little other care. Snails can be an occasional problem, especially with young plants.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.